WASHINGTON (CNN) - When former Boston Red Sox ace Curt Schilling started making noise last week about pursuing Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, he said he had been contacted by several people about running - but he declined to say by whom.

It turns out one of those people was John McCain.

McCain’s spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan told CNN Tuesday that the former GOP presidential nominee – a friend of Kennedy’s – spoke to Schilling last week and encouraged him to seek the office.

McCain initiated the conversation.

Schilling endorsed McCain early in the presidential process in 2007 and campaigned for the Arizona senator in New Hampshire during the presidential race. He also campaigned with George W. Bush in 2004, the same year he helped the Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918.

Schilling has sounded like a politician in recent says, outlining his positions on several issues on his blog.

But the six-time All-Star has remained coy about whether or not he plans to take the leap, telling interviewers that the chances of a run remain slim. There’s also the question about whether Schilling could run as a Republican because he’s a registered independent.